The fast of silence

The fact that a human being can express themselves, articulate their thoughts and emotions through the sounds they produce, and then transform these into a means of communication is something akin to a miracle. The miracle of speech. 

However, when speaking is limited only to producing sound; when the foundation, source, style, and culture of the word weaken, what we hear can turn into noise. Yet, what we described was a miracle; its evolution into noise has been quite tragic.

At such times, one needs to review oneself from time to time, to check what one has read or not read, what one has watched or not seen, one's conscience, compassion, and style, and to be in harmony with them. Speaking is the reflection of all these on the surface. Whatever we carry in our satchel is hidden here. Words carry only as much as they can hold, and try to reach the interlocutor as much as their strength allows. 

How, then, will this state of being in harmony, pausing, resting, and reviewing oneself, which we speak of, be experienced? How will a person, starting from their speech, return to themselves and put themselves on the scales?

Some religions have found the solution to this in the "fast of silence or the silence fast."

The word fast, in its literal meaning, is expressed as "abstaining from something, holding oneself back from something." In that case, when we are silent, we abstain from speaking and remain alone with ourselves, our words, and all the acceptances that make us who we are in silence. 

We know that this fast existed in pre-Islamic Hejaz society, among Jews, Christians, and some Indian religions. On such days, people refrain from making sounds to the outside world and from the pleasure created by speaking, and remain alone with themselves. 

So, do those days achieve their purpose, and is the goal attained when the time calls for a fast of silence? We do not know the answer to the question, but when we look at the practice of fasting in general, we can see that the intended result and the outcome that emerges are not the same. The same situation may apply to the fast of silence, but even if that is the case, the meaning of the fast remains intact. 

As we stated above, there is a difference between noise and speaking. The word itself tells us this. For the healing of the word comes not from sounds, but from the wisdom, humility, understanding, and decency that manifest themselves in sounds. For that reason, instead of making noise without stopping and resting, one sometimes needs to reach silence and hold the mirror to oneself. 

Saadi Shirazi has a very beautiful saying. A saying that I remind myself of from time to time: "The wrong style is the executioner of the right word." The beauty and truth of the word penetrate the human heart even as they spill from the lips; it advises not to break or hurt, not to spill or shatter. It also says, "Let the essence not be harmed because of the method." Indeed, he speaks the truth. 

To not carry our executioner on our tongue, not to waste truths and reality, and to understand what is happening in our minds and souls, we need a conscious silence, a serene time. In this state of silence, the mirror of life that we hold to our self can tell us not only what we are but also what we are not, while confronting us with ourselves and our language. 

At the stage we have reached, we can say this: We can review our conversations with a moment of silence and check the deficiencies and needs of our soul. Some religious beliefs have called this moment a "fast of silence." Everyone can name the moment they experience themselves. But if there is an unchanging truth, it is the need we feel for silence.   

As a Native American proverb says: "Stop, listen. If you always talk, you will never hear anything."